Rescue at Sauteurs Bay, Grenada
A number of environmental and natural issues have resulted in the extremely damaging effects on the archaeological site at Sauteurs Bay on the north coast of Grenada. This unique and important site is now left exposed and vulnerable to the elements. Due to heavy coastal erosion, an immense amount of human skeletal material is rapidly being washing away into the ocean. This type of devastation and loss of archaeological material has not been experienced by the local community for at least 10 to 20 years.
Sauteurs Bay
The site of Sauteurs Bay is a Troumassoid/Suazoid site (e.g. finger-indented rims, "scratched" designs) with a later Cayo component. It consists of approximately three loci that together form a large settlement. Radiocarbon dates for the site roughly span from calAD 660 to calAD 1645 and it is presumed that the settlement endured for more or less 1000 years (Hanna 2016).
The site was partially excavated by Ann Cody in the late 1980’s. Cody found no fewer than 18 burials and the floor of a house structure. The material from these excavations is held at the Grenada National Museum in St. George’s, along with a few recovered human skeletons. This skeletal material primarily dates to the earlier phases of occupation at Sauteurs Bay.
Leiden at Sauteurs Bay
Currently, a small team from Leiden in company of Jonathan Hanna, a fullbright scholar studying the early settlement of Grenada, is at Sauteurs Bay rescuing what archaeological material they can, before it is lost to the ocean completely. At least three fairly complete skeletons have already been rescued, with many more to follow in the coming days. There are also plans to analyze the skeletal material from Sauteurs from earlier excavations that is already present at the Grenada National Museum in St. George’s in the near future.
Excavating a human burial in the surf at Sauteurs Bay.
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You can leave our website to view this video.The efforts of the Leiden University archaeologists were also covered in the local news on Grenada. Read the article here.